Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Past Meets Present ❯ Chapter 19 ( Chapter 20 )

“So, we’re going back to the city now, aren’t we?” Duo asked his blond friend a week later. Quatre nodded.

“When?” Meiran had to ask. “Next week,” Trowa answered in his quiet voice. Quatre nodded to let the group know that this was true.

“Cool,” Hilde chipped in. Duo turned to her and told her something quietly.

“You’re going then,” Trowa noted later on as he watched his friend pack. “Why?”

“I want a change in scenery,” he replied.

“And you can’t handle Heero gone,” the clown stated very calmly as he stood in the doorway.

“Shut up,” came his harsh voice.

“I’ll leave you to pack then,” Trowa answered, leaving. As he walked down the hallway, he spotted Hilde doing the same thing as Duo. Duo had confided in only Hilde and Trowa that he was going. Hilde because she was practically his sister. As for Trowa, it had just kind of come out when they had been horse-riding. Going downstairs, he heard talking coming from Wufei’s room. Apparently, he and his wife had something to talk about that was important enough for the door to be closed.

“Hey,” Quatre waved when he saw Trowa enter the living room. “Where is everyone? It’s so quiet around here you’d think that Duo didn’t live here.”

“Busy, little one. Everyone is busy,” he answered, going over to the bookcase. “If you want a new novel, Iria just sent a few over,” his lover piped up. Trowa picked up a red book, an amused look on his face.

“Battle Royale?”

“I do believe that she didn’t see that book in the pile. Maybe Duo or Mei will read it. Seems like something one of them would read,” answered the blond. Taking the book with him, Trowa sat down next to Quatre. “I think that I’ll read this,” he answered as his boyfriend moved closer to him.

“So what are your plans once we go back to the city?” Meiran said as she sat on her bed. Wufei stood against the wall, now without crutches, with his arms crossed.

“I will continue my work with the Preventors. What about you?” He questioned her. She shrugged.

“I have no idea. I mean, how are we supposed to do this?” Meiran waved her arms.

“What makes you think I know?” Wufei answered.

“You’re the smart one!” Came her reply.

“What does that have to do with anything?” He scoffed. Knocking at the door silenced any answer. Wufei, who was closer, opened it to reveal Duo.

“Wu-man, just the guy I wanted. Sorry Mei-Mei, but I’m gonna steal him for a little while,” Duo said as he grabbed Wufei by the arm.

“Maxwell, where the hell are you taking me?” She and everyone else in the house heard him complain. It brought a smile to Meiran’s face. She wasn’t the only one who could get under his skin.

“Wuffers, I need to tell you and the Q-man something. Trowa and Hilde already know,” Duo turned and said seriously, shutting Wufei up instantly. Duo Maxwell was rarely serious but when he was, you knew something was up. A nod was all Wufei needed to tell Duo he was listening. “I’m not going back with you guys. Howard and the Sweepers gave me an offer and I’ve thought about it a lot. And right now, I need the change of scenery.”

Wufei had no idea what to say to his friend. But he felt compelled to say something. And there was a question he was wondering about.

“Is it because Heero left?” He blurted out quickly. The American turned his face and shot back, “What is with you guys thinking that’s why?”

An eyebrow raised, the China man wanted clarification. Which Duo gave, saying that Trowa had asked almost the exact same question.

The American began to wander, and a curious Wufei followed. Not often could Wufei be called curious but at times such as thus, it was perfectly acceptable. In the end, he found that he was outside with his friend. The other two ex-pilots were there as well. In Trowa’s hands was a semi-large red book that he had just closed, looking at his comrades.

“Duo,” the blond Arab began but didn’t finish. The braided one figured by the tone of voice he used that his lover had explained the situation. A glance at Trowa confirmed this. “When?” The Arabian began again.

“The next shuttle out is in two days and I guess if I want to make it, I’ll have to leave tonight;” Duo scratched the back of his head. “I’m gonna miss you guys, ya know that right?” He paused to take a look at the three men out here with him. “You guys are like my long lost brothers.

“In the wars, we were brothers-in-arms. And look how much has changed and happened since then. I know I never mentioned it but I always wanted a scenery change and this is the perfect opportunity. And you guys all have others around so you don’t need me anymore.”

At that, Wufei felt the urge to cut in Duo’s little tirade. “Maxwell, you talk to much. Who else do we know that does that?”

Duo failed to suppress the grin that popped up at the remark. “I feel so loved, Wu-man. But anyways,” his face went back to being serious, “I feel kind of left out. Not to make you guys guilty or anything, but I do. I mean, come on, Quat and Tro, you two are so into each other that if the world were to be destroyed, you wouldn’t notice. And Wuffers;” Wufei growled slightly at the name, thinking to himself that of course he got all the little annoying nicknames. “You have Mei and Xin Xin. Need I say more?”

“Why now, though?” Quatre’s soft voice interrupted. “If you felt this way all along, why stick around? Does it have something to do with Heero?”

“Why do you guys keep asking that question?” Duo practically yelled.

Smirking, his Chinese friend piped up, “If you just answered the question, it wouldn’t be asked.” And with that, the fifth ex-pilot found a glare directed straight at him by the former second pilot.

“Duo,” Trowa’s voice cut into the little discussion. “Just admit the truth.” He, too, found a glare directed at himself.

“Shut up,” the American had to say on the subject. Taking a breath, he continued, “I guess I just want to say, I’m gonna miss you guys. You’re my brothers from different mothers.” Duo stopped speaking for a minute. Wufei groaned when he saw the Devil’s grin adorning the braided man’s face.

“Group hug!” He yelled, gathering the three very different men around himself.

“Why do I put up with you?” Grumbled Wufei. The answer he was given made he wished he had never wondered aloud. “I do not love you, Maxwell!”

“Sure you do.”

“I have no feelings for you in any manner of speaking.”

“Then why are you so touchy about it?”

“Because you are making a pain of yourself about it.”

“I’m gonna miss sparring with ya ‘Fei, I really am;” Duo grinned. He received a dark glare and laughed.

A/N: Holy smokes, how long has it been since I last updated? Far too long, I will say. Sorry about the long update, again. But I ran into a writers’ block when Meiran told ‘Fei he was the smart one. And acquiring a boy toy really cut into writing time as well. NaNoWriMo, please, don’t mention it. Yes, I’m participating. But I am so far behind and I have a huge block on it as well.

If you guys want to have faster chapters come out, then by all means pitch a few ideas on what I should do. And no, keeping Duo is not an option. There are reasons why he needs to go away. Heero, too. Also, no one was able to guess what the Empress was saying or to who. Where are all the RuroKen fans? Surely someone knows what hitokiri at least means. I do but I’m not saying what was said. As for who was being spoken about, it was not Wufei. Sorry, but him, Meiran, and Xin Xin are going to be taking a little break. I want to really develop the others and I fear that if I keep those two in the spotlight for much longer, I’ll end up rushing their relationship, making everything very unrealistic.

This one owns nothing but Xin Xin, though owning humans is very bad, that it is.